Country, Rock And Folk

House Of Cards Entertains Patrons Of Peek’n Peak’s Regency Pub

June 15, 2013

Area residents enjoyed an evening of jams with House of Cards at Peek'n Peak's Regency Pub on Friday evening.

House of Cards, a band formed in 2003 by members from the Erie region, gave the patrons of Regency Pub an evening of covers of classic rock and country tunes. The band took the stage at 9 p.m., and was scheduled to perform until around 1 a.m.

House of Cards opened with The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See," followed up by Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" and then took on Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis." The rest of the show featured a number of other classic covers, all of which drew applause from the audience.

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House of Cards consists of: Brian Butler, bass and lead vocals; Ric Butler, guitar and vocals; Jim Froman, lead guitar and vocals; Sonny Froman, drums and vocals; and Jackson Froman, keys and harmonica.

According to Brian, House of Cards is a country-rock band that came together around Ric and himself, who were an acoustic duo. The band has been playing together for many years now, and the members work on various other musical projects as well.

"We like to keep it in the John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen vein of rock as well as classic rock 'n' roll like Tom Petty," said Brian.

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House of Cards is shown performing at Peek’n Peak’s Regency Pub on Friday evening. From left are: Jim Froman, lead guitar and vocals; Sonny Froman, drums and vocals; Brian Butler, bass and lead vocals; Ric Butler, guitar and vocals; and Jackson Froman, keys and harmonica.P-J photo by Dusten Rader

"It's very Americana," added Ric. "But, more of truer definition of Americana, meaning not anything that's country that can't get played on country radio - more country, rock and folk music put together."

House of Cards currently has a live CD available at www.houseofcardsmusic.com, which was recorded at The Grange Hall in Union City, Pa. The album features two originals: "Crazy Bout You Weekend" and "Waitin' On A Heartache," which was made popular by John Corbett. The CD also features covers such as: Hal Ketchum's "Past the Point of Rescue," John Mellencamp's "Pink Houses," Johnny Cash's "Rock Island Line," Pat Green's "Wave On Wave," Eric Clapton's "Lay Down Sally," The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb," Craig Morgan's "Almost Home," and Billy Joe Shaver's "I Been To Georgia On A Fast Train."

According to Leah Hayes, bar manager and booking agent for Peek'n Peak's Regency Pub, featuring local and regional acts every Friday and Saturday free of charge is a service that the establishment strives to provide for patrons. And, House of Cards is one of the regular bands that she feels draws a nice crowd and creates exactly the type of atmosphere the Regency Pub calls for. Because Peek'n Peak hosts different clientele depending on the season, Hayes said she tries to book rock style bands during the summer and mellow acts during the winter.

"Right now its golfers and weddings so its more of a party crowd, which is why we like to feature classic rock," said Hayes. "House of Cards is a great band - we love them here. They play here once or twice a month because they play what people want to hear. When people want to be mellow and talk they keep it down, but when people are ready to party they have a blast."

House of Cards' next performance is set for tonight at Peek'n Peak's Regency Pub, 1405 Old Road in Clymer.

"This is a great spot because there are a lot of transient people - you don't see the same people every week," said Brian. "There's always a pretty good crowd, and there are a number of people who come back to see us."

The Regency Pub will then feature King Pins on Friday, and Steve and Charity from Big Leg Emma on Saturday, June 22. For more information call 355-4141 or visit www.pknpk.com.

House of Cards will also appear at Chautauqua Suites' Bellini Lounge, 215 W. Lake Road (Route 394) in Mayville, on Friday, June 28, and at the Hadley House, 3328 Hadley Bay Road in Stow, on Saturday, June 29. For more information, including a full listing of upcoming performances, visit houseofcardsmusic.com.